Rotherham The Unofficial Website An unofficial website about the Town and Borough of Rotherham

Tourism in Rotherham

Is Rotherham a Suitable Place for a Tourist? Now I'll bet that if you've ever thought of Rotherham at all, you'll have never thought of the town as a centre for tourism or indeed any kind of place for your holidays. Northern, gritty, and mucky may spring to mind when you think of Rotherham and Rotherham is all of these things. Certainly before I began to write these pages Rotherham did not spring to my mind as a suitable place for a tourist.

The more I came to look around Rotherham the more I realised there was to see in this corner of South Yorkshire if you look for it.

If you want a pretty little place to stay - one full of thatched cottages, snug pubs and pretty riverside walks Rotherham is not your place.

If you want gourmet food you'll not get it in Rotherham although the Greenhead House at Chapeltown and The Old Vicarage at Ridgeway - both absolutely ace - are not far away. (Also booked up well in advance).

If you want grand castles and stately homes there are none to look around in Rotherham. The great houses in the borough are Wentworth Woodhouse which is not open to the public although you can walk through the grounds, and Sandbeck Park, the home of the Earl of Scarborough who opens the grounds for charitable events. These two are still inhabited whilst Firbeck Hall is also pretty grand but near derelict. There are castles just outside the Borough at Conisbrough and Tickhill (Boston Castle is not a castle but a hunting lodge). There are many fine houses but other than Clifton House which is now a museum none are open for public viewing, though some have been turned into hotels.

If you want a city full of great museums, theatres, concert halls and grand orchestras Rotherham is not your place either.

If you want sun, sand, and sea head for Spain or Greece.

Within the borough there are loads of pretty villages and some that are far, far from pretty. Thorpe Salvin won the Yorkshire in Bloom Competition in 2001 and in 2002 the village won the Gold Medal in the Entente Florale. From this you can see that it one of the pretty ones - you don't get such awards for gardens full of dock and abandoned cars. Ravenfield Old Village is another regular competitor.

So if you want to use in a nice friendly town as a base for a northern holiday you could do much worse than Rotherham.

Rotherham Highlights

There are several events during the year in the Rotherham area which are very busy and attract visitors from far and wide. Visit the Events Pages:-

• Great British Northern Beer Festival - Every February
• Rotherham Heritage Open Days - Every September
• Rotherham Open Arts Festival - Every October
• Rotherham Show - Every September
• Rotherham Walking Festival - Annual, for 2010 it is being held in May
• Wath Festival - Annual, at the end of April and/or beginning of May.

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